The UN rights office issued a statement on Monday, in which it said that the Israeli measures are also against a July ruling by the International Court of Justice that announced Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as unlawful and urged an immediate end to settlement construction.
The statement mentioned Israel’s decision to establish five new settlements, including Nahal Heletz, “by using Israeli law to legalize outposts which were already present on these sites.”
“Settlements, settler violence and the presence of settlers are the root causes of the majority of human rights violations in the West Bank”, the statement said.
It also expressed concern about the recent transfer of powers, relating to land and settlements, from the Israeli military to civilian officials, saying that the transfer further integrates the administration of the West Bank into that of Israel, “while not extending equal protection of the law to Palestinians”, which the UN said cements the annexation of large parts of the West Bank, including East al-Quds.
“The continued settlement activity and changes to the legal regime applicable in the occupied West Bank, along with the separation of Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, also further institutionalize long-standing systematic discrimination, oppression and violence against the Palestinian people”, the UN Rights Office further said in its statement.
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